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I’ve been on hiatus from GadgetMETER the last few weeks. I was working for the Fantastic Fest Film Festival here in Austin. It was pretty fantastic. Nothing like watching a bunch of film makers, critics and bloggers smoke themselves into oblivion between screenings and then watch the homeless dude walk by and scrounge for butts after they have all gone back inside. That was the less glamorous side. But I think I have found a solution that is both nerdy gadget cool and combustion free!

The E-cigarette!

The E-cigarette is a tube that includes electronic components and a heating element that essentially vaporizes liquid nicotine (and yes, the liquid does come in multiple flavors).

Now, I’m not a smoker (I used to be, ages ago), but I have a lot of friends that are and boy do they love to whine about the smoking ban. Well, E-cigarettes have no second hand smoke. They have no smoke at all. Wouldn’t this be a great way to get your fix without having to wander outside to the grubby smoking section of the local bar? And there is plenty of anecdotal evidence that suggests E-cigarettes can be used to aid in quitting smoking by slowly stepping down your nicotine intake. No official studies on this have yet been done which is why the FDA has not approved these devices for this specified purpose.

There is plenty of controversy around this little item. But with the issue of second hand smoke non-existent, and the fact that it eliminates cigarette butts, I really fail to see what the big deal is about.
It makes smoking less intrusive to others, eliminates cigarette butts, and can help people quit smoking. Sounds pretty good to me.
And there is a whole new market for designer E-cigarette tubes. I think I know what online business I’ll be starting up.